Racial Equity Impact Analysis (REIA)
The Racial Equity Impact Analysis helps the City consider racial equity outcomes when shaping policies, practices, programs and budgets.
| Public Safety | No |
| Housing | Yes |
| Economic Development | Yes |
| Public Services | No |
| Environmental Justice | No |
| Built Environment & Transportation | Yes |
| Public Health | No |
| Arts & Culture | No |
| Workforce | Yes |
| Spending | No |
| Data | No |
| Community Engagement | No |
The proposed amendment would support the City’s economic development, housing, and built environment goals. The applicant is proposing to construct a high-density, mixed-use development on the three blocks bounded by University Avenue Southeast to the north, Oak Street Southeast and Ontario Street Southeast to the west, Delaware Street Southeast to the south, and Huron Boulevard Southeast to the east. The development will be built out in phases over the next 15 to 20 years and will contain housing, a hotel, commercial uses, and office uses. The portion of land that is proposed to be vacated and subject to the comprehensive plan amendment will be used as public open space adjacent to the high-density, mixed-use development. The land that is proposed to be vacated is not needed for transportation-related uses.
The amendment would change the future land use for a section of the existing parcel from Transportation to Community Mixed Use, and the built form guidance from Transportation to Transit 30.
BIPOC communities are disproportionately impacted by pollution generated from high-impact transportation and industrial uses. BIPOC communities are more likely to live in proximity to high-impact polluting uses, which can affect human health and cause health issues such as heart attacks, asthma, and high blood pressure.
Approximately 31% of households of color in Minneapolis do not own a vehicle compared to 12% of white households, according to the National Equity Atlas. In contrast, a 2019 Metropolitan Council report highlights that people of color and people who identify as Black or African American ride transit at rates disproportion to their representation in the population. Approximately 26.2% of Prospect Park - East River Road households report that they do not own a vehicle. The proposed amendment would not remove any public transportation options from the vicinity.
| Inform | Yes |
| Consult | Yes |
| Involve | No |
| Collaborate | No |
| Empower | No |
The applicant was required to conduct public outreach and engagement to raise awareness about the proposed comprehensive plan amendment and actively prepare stakeholders to engage and provide feedback on the application. The applicant hosted a community meeting on June 13, 2024, to discuss the comprehensive plan amendment. The community meeting was held at Dinnaken House located at 900 Washington Avenue Southeast, across the street from the development site.
The meeting was advertised with a 4-foot by 8-foot sign located on the subject property in addition to e-mail correspondence to multiple stakeholders. Meeting attendees included Dick Gilyard, neighbor and board member of Towerside Innovation District, Eric Amel, neighbor and Chair of the Board of the Prospect Park Association, Stephen Klimek, executive director of the Towerside Innovation District, Caity Beaudoin, developer working on a nearby project, and Mike Kern, neighbor in Longfellow.
The applicant provided a detailed explanation of the request and an overview of the proposed development. There were no objections to the request and all attendees supported the proposal. The engagement process also included the City Planning Commission public hearing on August 12, 2024. The Council Members, neighborhoods, and property owners within 350 feet of the site were notified of the public hearing.
The property located at 1027 Essex Street Southeast is owned in fee title by the City of Minneapolis. The property stretches from University Avenue Southeast on the north to Essex Street Southeast on the south. The site was once former railroad right-of-way. In 1990, the City of Minneapolis purchased the property for public right-of-way for the northern segment of Huron Boulevard Southeast. When the University of Minnesota constructed Huntington Bank Stadium in 2009, the northern segment of Huron Boulevard Southeast was shifted to the east. The property is currently utilized as a portion of University Avenue Southeast, a portion of Huron Boulevard Southeast, and green space.
The City of Minneapolis will be selling a portion of the property to the applicant. The portion that will be sold is located between the southern boundary of University Avenue Southeast and the northern boundary of Washington Avenue Southeast. The remainder of the property will continue to be used as roadway right-of-way for their respective streets.
The proposed amendment would allow the applicant to combine the portion of Essex Street Southeast with the rest of the development parcel. The amendment is largely an administrative formality and impacts will not be measured going forward. Seeing the proposed development fully built-out would be a success.